Somebody game me a call and let me know that the Lakers beat the Suns, their first really big win against a top team. Kobe scored an impressive 41 points to spoil Shaq Suns debut. The Lakers are being picked by many analysts to be the top contender for the championship and this victory is a good step towards that. I personal don’t see that happening. They are a great team, but I can’t see them outlasting the Spurs, Suns or for that matter the Hornets in a 7 games series. I guess they’ll just have to prove me wrong.

Things aren’t looking any better for the Clippers, after a great win against the Grizzlies on Wednesday they have 3 straight games against top teams in the NBA. First the Jazz, then the Lakers and finally the Celtics. I feel sorry for them, but who knows maybe they’ll get luck and win one of them.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, if you still have not yet been to a Derby Dolls game, you have not really lived. This weekend’s match-up was a thrill-ride, as intense as any game I’ve seen thus far.

The Dolls’ popularity is undeniably increasing, as is apparent by the new layout of the Doll Factory, the new bleacher (Cowboy’s Clubhouse) and the mobile beer vendors - yay! The place was PACKED, even the standing-room only space around the track. And as for the game? Well read on…

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

It was All-Star Weekend in New Orleans and there were very memorable moments for the NBA. On Saturday was both the 3 point shootout and the slam dunk competition. Sunday was the All-Star game, and the festivities were kicked off with home town heroes Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis. It was a good city for the celebration, it being rich in music and food as part of the culture. Also, it was refreshing to see celebration in a city that has experienced so much devastation.

On Saturday night, UCLA’s own Jason Kapono (featured right) defended his 3 point title against the likes of Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Peja Stojakovic. Kobe’s injured finger kept him out of the competition. Nash choked, Dirk put up a good scored, as did Daniel Gibson, but Kapono was too much. He tied the competition record with 25 and earned his second straight victory. Charles Barkley called him, “the best shooter in the league,” before the shootout began. As he finished his last rack of basketballs Barkley exclaimed, “I told you!”

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

The Clemens HGH soap opera continued on Wednesday in Capitol Hill and just like in the beginning nothing has been solved.  Clemens still stands by his statements that he has never taken any kind of performance enhancing substance. At the same time McNamee stands by his comments that he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH. Congress was no help here as there was clearly a divided line among Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats were grilling Clemens and saying it was hard to believe him, while Republicans were grilling McNamee in order to discredit him. One has to wonder if Clemens friendship with George Bush Sr. has anything to do with this. There is hearsay that points to a pardon of Clemens from president Bush to keep him out of any jail time or punishment. If that happens then it will be even harder to believe that Clemens is telling the truth. If he knows he is going to get pardoned and escape punishment, there is no reason for him to admit to anything. I can’t wait until all this steroid talk is over and baseball fans can just enjoy baseball without any controversy.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

The Clippers got a rare road victory at Milwaukee on Monday night winning 96-89. It appeared they wanted to start a new losing streak, which began the previous night with blowout loss to. However, Al Thornton, the promising young rookie from Florida State wouldn’t let them. He scored 25 points on 12 of 20 shooting. With Cassell (21 points 8 assists) and Thornton shouldering the scoring load the Clippers didn’t need Caveman’s offense who instead, continued his heady play by contributing 15 boards.

As an aside, the opinion here is that Caveman was robbed of an All-Star spot based on his team’s poor play, but when you consider what the Clips have endured this season in terms of injury their 17-32 record is starting to look mildly respectable. Also the West is loaded with super talents. The Clips return home from their 7 game road trip after going 3-4. They play the Wizards on Wednesday evening.

Photo by Paul!!! via Flickr

Lakers play tonight in Charlotte. They have won 5 of 6 and continue to prevail on their 9 game road trip. Only two games remain before the All-Star break, then the Lakers can return to the Staples Center after the Grammy’s occupation. What looked like the beginning of a slump has turned into a successful road trip, regardless of how the last two games turn out, which incidentally are against two of the worst teams in the league. But the Lakers had a game yesterday in Miami, and the last back to back games they had on the road resulted in a loss to Atlanta.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

The Phoenix Suns have traded one of their best players (Shawn Marion) and a seldom used back-up (Marcus Banks) for Shaquille O’Neal. On the surface this trade doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but let’s look closer.

Shawn Marion was clearly unhappy as he demanded a trade prior to this season. Apparently his grumblings have worsened as of late and led to a decline in team chemistry…enough so that the Suns felt it was time to make a change. Its unfortunate for them because they already had the best record in the West. Still, watching the Suns play, it felt like something was missing. They didn’t look like a team ready to compete for a championship as they were struggling to getting stops down the stretch. With Kurt Thomas gone, the Suns have had no reliable low post defensive presence. Even with an aging Shaq…problem solved.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

Here are some pictures from the LA dodgers autograph event. It was on 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

Here are some pictures from the LA dodgers autograph event. It was on 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

It’s funny how Isiah guarantees victories against the league’s best, but remains mum against the league’s worst. Good thing though since the Knicks just lost to the Clippers 103-94. Any time Isiah is humbled…it’s a good day in the NBA. So then…with their Monday victory do the Clippers have reason for optimism? No…they don’t. But they do deserve congratulations for snapping an eight game road skid. Technically it was a nine game road skid, but I’m counting the loss to the Cavs on Saturday as a victory for two reasons. First, they played with out their two leading scorers (Maggette and Kaman) and second, they lost by under 50. In fact, they only lost by 14…so I’m sorry but that counts as a win. Extra kudos to the Clips for ending the skid against Isiah and his lowly Knicks. Stay tuned as the Clips play Boston on Wednesday. That should be fun.

Today and tomorrow the Dodgers will be caravanning around LA to different places to meet you! Members of the team such as Catcher Russell Martin, pitchers Brad Penny and Takashi Saito, and second baseman Jeff Kent, former Dodgers Lou Johnson and Wes Parker, and announcers Jaime Jarrin, Fernando Valenzuela and Charley Steinerm will be signing autographs, fielding questions, and meeting fans.

Autographs will be limited to the first 150 fans who show up and are given wristbands so don’t be late!

The Dodgers will be at Yankee Doodles on 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica (Map) from 5:30-6:30pm today!

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past several weeks, I’m sure you’ve been following the New England Patriots miracle season. Well, the dream has finally come to an end, and in a way that could only be described as BIBLICAL. I have a tendency to over-exaggerate the severity of any given topic in which I write about, but on this one, all the hype and hoopla are totally justified.

Super Bowl XLII was probably one of the most exciting and anxious football games in NFL history. In the years to come people will refer back to this game as exactly the kind of event that showcases the true nature of Americans. To achieve what most felt was impossible, that’s who we are, and that’s what we stand for.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]